Chapter 348: Righteous and Cunning

Zhao Jiu's memories surged forth like water from an opened sluice gate, and many thoughts followed... But it was worth noting that what flowed out after the gate opened could hardly be called a flood; at most, it was a stream.

There was no helping it.

This year was the seventh year of Jianyan. In other words, Zhao Jiu had lived a total of twenty-seven years so far. Yet among those twenty-seven years, the experiences of the last seven felt as if they occupied a larger part of his life.

As for the first twenty years... not to mention the relative carefreeness of that time, before high school he hadn't possessed much capacity for deep thought, had he? Even afterward, the time he effectively acquired knowledge was limited, let alone mature cognition and practice.

Besides that, there was also the reason of having his face slapped until it hurt.

To elaborate, after falling into the well, influenced by some low-end games and high-end web novels, Zhao Jiu had not been without attempts at so-called "golden finger" ideas. But those ideas were often battered by the ruthlessness of reality and harsh conditions, ultimately stopping at the idea stage:

First was the impact of war. Every day, from opening his eyes to closing them, it was a matter of life and death. Until Yaoshan, when did he truly have the mind to pursue such things?

Second, his personal knowledge was fundamentally unsystematic. Bits and pieces could not form a breakthrough to promote a systematic industry.

Third, the Great Song, as a country with a population of over a hundred million, had also achieved a certain depth of urbanization. Beyond productivity itself, it had reached a kind of extreme in this medieval golden age.

Many things Zhao Jiu mentioned turned out to already have better precedents. They were merely scaled down or suspended due to lack of funds or war... The most representative of these was the medical system.

In a certain sense, this also included the current fiscal problem.

Time back to a few days ago, at the beginning of this month. After Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo submitted that weighty memorial, he quickly followed it with a separate official note. In that note, Lin Jingmo had already laid before His Majesty Zhao a bundle of measures: issuing specific Northern Expedition national bonds, appropriate anti-corruption efforts, and even a direct "tax on wealth" (a stock property tax, requiring those with household assets exceeding a certain amount to pay taxes) to rob the rich to aid the poor.

And given Lin Jingmo's status, since he had issued this note, it meant that the so-called "Wood Faction" behind him, led by Zhang Deyuan, had reached an internal consensus and was ready to charge into battle for His Majesty Zhao.

But, whether for good or ill, compared to these bold and decisive trusted ministers he had personally cultivated and influenced, His Majesty Zhao himself had become timid.

There were, of course, reasons for this timidity:

Large-scale issuance of Northern Expedition bonds required the entire nation to be full of confidence in the Northern Expedition. If the confidence of the upper and lower levels was not as strong as the court imagined, and too many bonds were issued, the bonds would become unsalable, causing officials, gentry, and commoners to lose confidence in the Northern Expedition through the bonds themselves.

That wasn't all. The most critical issue was that, based on Zhao Jiu's experience, once problems arose, the government might deceive superiors and bully subordinates, forcibly apportioning the bonds. At that point, it wouldn't just be a matter of public morale being disheartened; even the regular bond market, which was issued at year-end and grew steadily, playing a huge role in fiscal regulation, would be affected.

It might even lead to greater political turmoil.

As for anti-corruption.

This was a cliché issue... but somewhat forced, because at this time, the bulk of national fiscal expenditure was on military spending. And the Imperial Camp Army was still under a military system where generals led large army groups. Under these circumstances, from the commanders down, officers at every level were almost openly embezzling military funds.

To put it bluntly, if His Majesty did not thoroughly purge corruption in the military, on what grounds could he purge it elsewhere?

Purging corruption in the military was not impossible, but doing so would require breaking the military balance, punishing some capable generals, and even dealing with collusion and resistance from some, forcing the court into a vicious cycle of a major purge... And this would likely lead to a large-scale rebound of the previous "civil officials valued, military officers despised" situation, causing His Majesty to completely lose credibility with the military and resulting in a collapse of military combat effectiveness.

In short, in the long term, purging corruption was certainly beneficial for maintaining military combat effectiveness, but in the short term, the result would be a rapid decline in military combat effectiveness.

Yet wasn't what Zhao Jiu sought precisely to maintain combat effectiveness in the short term, to ensure he could launch the Northern Expedition at any time?

And this was precisely why Zhao Jiu could only conduct a moderate purge of the Imperial Camp Central Army troops right under his nose, and most of the time had to repeatedly exhort and influence a dozen commanders and several dozen regimental officers to control the internal corruption of the military.

Of course, to be honest, His Majesty and the court were hardly pure as white lotuses themselves.

After the great victory at Yanling, the court immediately balanced the strength of various armies, and then, following that year's special imperial examination, took the opportunity to dispatch a large number of accompanying jinshi into the military. After the great victory at Yaoshan, Lu Yihao immediately submitted a memorial requesting a rectification of the chaotic situation of "temporary officials," and His Majesty Zhao took the opportunity to strip everyone from Han Shizhong to Yue Fei to Li Yanxian of their titles as Grand Coordinator, Military Commissioner, and Pacification Commissioner.

This itself was an act of purging corruption that surpassed all others.

As for the tax increase to rob the rich and aid the poor, that went without saying. The backlash and resistance that something like "having two oxen at home" would provoke needed no elaboration.

Moreover, this kind of targeted action against the wealthy class, combined with the crude governance methods of a feudal government, could easily degenerate into an unbridled, expanded, and even misdirected evil policy.

You say your family's property doesn't reach the tax threshold? I say it does! Don't believe me? Let us search?

This has nothing to do with Master Wang being the county's Chief Clerk Zhang's in-law! Master Wang is poor, and you are rich! That clay pot of yours is worth more than the porcelain of Master Wang next door!

Ah, my hand slipped, but no matter, this door of yours is only worth three coppers, I'll compensate you!

That ox of yours was already half-dead when we went to take it; how can it be counted as a live ox?

You say, I say? Don't you know His Majesty is launching the Northern Expedition? Are you a Jin spy?

History has proven time and again that, under conditions where auditing relied entirely on manual labor, this kind of "sheep-shearing" behavior that seemed to target only the wealthy often degenerated into cruel persecution of middle-class families.

Instead, the true powerful and wealthy would evade it.

How could Zhao Jiu easily agree?

But, and this is the "but," Zhao Jiu's hesitation and indecision did not mean he had truly vetoed these proposals. He was actually prepared to adopt these forceful measures if necessary.

He also believed that, under these war conditions, after the purge of the court in the Baima-Shaoxing Incident, and under the suppression of the powerful Imperial Camp Army, both the truly wealthy class and the middle-class families would endure.

In fact, this Emperor even harbored dark thoughts of, when necessary, targeting some wealthy and powerful figures from Dongjing, Nanyang, and Yangzhou with large-scale implicated cases and targeted robbery.

However, the problem was that those were all final options to be chosen only when absolutely necessary.

As a ruler, Zhao Jiu hoped to hold some bottom lines, to use more meticulous, more ingenious, and more flexible means to gather wealth for the Northern Expedition... This was the reason for the contents of the latest court gazette.

But returning to the present, with Xu Jing's single sentence, His Majesty Zhao truly felt as if he had opened a harmless golden finger.

Because he had already sensed that these things he had just recalled in passing were generally institutional innovations from the period after the end of the Middle Ages, before the Industrial Revolution... These things did not require the powerful productivity of the post-Industrial Revolution era, but they absolutely exceeded the scope of the Middle Ages, and were mostly institutional innovations.

Therefore, these ideas were precisely good things that could have a "pulling up seedlings to help them grow" effect on the Great Song, which was in its medieval prime.

However, given Zhao Jiu's ordinary background as an engineering student, even if he knew something about such matters, it certainly wasn't much.

Commercialization of royal assets;

Maritime flag licenses;

Stamp duty tax;

Northern Expedition lottery;

Maritime trade company system;

Northern Expedition bonds;

Excess land tax;

Public auction of royal properties.

Still in early summer of the fourth month, in the morning, inside a somewhat stuffy stone pavilion in the rear palace, Chief Councilor Zhao Ding, whose lips were stained with color from being urged by His Majesty to eat several mulberries, put down the slip of paper in his hand. He sat in his original place with a complex expression, remaining silent for a long time.

Not only him, but also Hub Minister Zhang Jun, Vice Chief Councilor of the Department of State Affairs Liu Ji, Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs Chen Gui, Censor-in-Chief Li Guang, Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo, and Minister of Works Hu Yin, were in a similar state.

This was not to say that these gentlemen, like Zhao Ding, did not understand what these words meant—this was a matter of state, and His Majesty Zhao across from them was not there to show off; he had already written down in detail the explanations he had racked his brains to produce.

However, it was precisely because of this that these people across from him found it utterly baffling.

"What do you say?"

Perhaps afraid that the things he had come up with might be rejected for some very childish reasons, Zhao Jiu, for once lacking his usual composure, couldn't help urging them on.

"Could Your Majesty be a heaven-sent genius?" Zhang Deyuan, sitting on the stone stool, was the first to respond with a smile. "Ideas like the stamp tax are truly astonishing, and then there's the lottery…"

Zhao Jiu rarely showed a hint of pride, but then immediately, out of habit, composed his expression.

The stamp tax was actually just a stamp duty, but since the Great Song had a tradition of adding personal signatures besides stamps, it was renamed to this more era-appropriate term.

The specific meaning of the stamp tax was actually very simple… when private transactions reached the point where a contract needed to be drawn up—whether buying or selling houses, land, or bulk goods, or private loans—one could go to the court to have it stamped and signed, but a tax had to be paid.

At least one string of cash, and for larger amounts, one-thousandth of the value of the goods, paid by both parties together.

The beauty of this tax was that it wasn't compulsory, but voluntary, and it cleverly avoided the poorest commoners.

After all, those truly qualified to draw up such contracts were never the lowest tier of commoners. And yet these commoners, especially the buying party, in order to ensure the legality of their property, would often actively demand that the seller join them in having the government office stamp and sign, to ensure the transaction's legality and avoid future unnecessary disputes.

Imagine: you spend one hundred and fifty strings of cash in Dongjing to buy a courtyard house to settle your family, planning to pass it down to your sons and grandsons. You've already spent one hundred and fifty strings—would you begrudge half a string… at market price, three hundred and seventy cash… to get a contract with the government office's official seal, to further secure your ownership of this large house?

Even if you threw in a small bribe on top, so what?

The sense of security between a contract with the government office's seal and one without, between a tripartite contract and a bipartite one, is different.

Given the common people's superstitious reverence for government authority in these times, they should be very willing, even eager, to come forward and pay this tax.

It truly was a clever idea, and absolutely feasible!

On the other side, while Zhang Deyuan was lavishly praising the stamp tax, Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo was also silently reaching a conclusion about it in his mind.

However, Minister Lin was different from the others. He was widely recognized as being inwardly brilliant. Not only did he reach a conclusion about the stamp tax, but he had also long since detected the essence of the paper His Majesty had presented today, and had timely guessed at the state of mind of many present.

To elaborate, His Majesty had put forth many flashy things, but in essence, they fell into just a few major categories.

First, not just the stamp tax, but the Northern Expedition National Bonds, the Maritime Standard Flag, and the commercialization of Royal Endorsements were all essentially trading credibility for money. The difference was that the former two relied on the credibility of the entire court, the latter on the prestige of the imperial house alone, while the Maritime Standard Flag was slightly more complex, probably involving the joint credibility of both the court and the imperial house, and perhaps more.

But it had to be admitted that the stamp tax was extremely cleverly designed, and the commercialization of Royal Endorsements and the Maritime Standard Flag could also be considered clever extensions of precedents, so resistance should be very small.

As for the Northern Expedition National Bonds, that was a matter of course; the Ministry of Revenue had already put it on the agenda from the start.

And it was worth noting that, with so many credibility-based commodities available, the share of simple national bonds could be further reduced to ensure it remained within a safe range.

Second, there was the thing called the Maritime Trading Company.

This was clearly the result of institutionalizing and stabilizing the large fleet that that fellow Zhang Jun, Zhang Boying, had put together… the Maritime Trade Guild, after all, had already caused a stir throughout Dongjing City. It seemed this was meant to complement that.

According to His Majesty's explanation, not only maritime merchants and cargo owners, but also not just Zhang Boying, and even the imperial house, the representative of the court—the Department of State Affairs—and some high-ranking officials and nobles could all contribute their respective prestige and become shareholders.

Then everyone would discuss and cooperate, reducing the company's resistance together and sharing the profits.

Doing this was certainly somewhat groundbreaking, with great benefits… because it could reduce risks and avoid internal friction in processes. In the past, whether cargo owners or maritime merchants, they all had to bear various risks independently, so they should be very willing to do this.

Not to mention anything else, why did so many maritime merchants and cargo owners respond en masse when Zhang Boying stepped forward that day? That itself showed the problem.

However, to put it bluntly, this thing was essentially still competing with the people for profit, forcibly seizing profits that originally belonged to normal civilian commodity trade into the hands of the court, the imperial house, and the powerful.

Only, the idea of 'all profit flowing from a single source' was itself the fundamental guiding principle of the court's finances. Coupled with the overall situation of the Northern Expedition, it left people with nothing to say.

Next, the lottery needed no further explanation.

The court forbade commoners from privately engaging in gambling, yet under the banner of the Northern Expedition, it created this thing… how to put it? It was also 'all profit flowing from a single source'.

Then there was the Excess Land Tax, which should have come from my own proposal back then, an improved variant of the wealth tax on the rich… after all, in these times, agriculture was still the foundation. Compared to arbitrarily labeling someone a rich household and forcing them to pay taxes, levying an additional land tax on large households whose land exceeded a certain amount was naturally the most feasible method.

Because land was clearly there, hard to conceal.

Of course, even so, it was impossible to prevent corrupt clerks and nobles from manipulating the classification of superior and inferior land.

It could only be said that, among the flood of forced tax increase plans flying around since the gazette published the call for fundraising ideas, this was the most moderate one.

Finally, there was the auction of imperial private property… this seemed more like something His Majesty would do.

In short, all sorts of things—His Majesty had truly done his utmost. But if so, how could his ministers face him?

"Your Majesty,"

Li Guang hesitated, but still spoke seriously. "Your subject sees the stamp tax, the Northern Expedition National Bonds, the Maritime Standard Flag, the auction of Royal Endorsements… all are extremely clever designs, and your subject admires them greatly. However, the Maritime Trading Company is ultimately competing with the people for profit; the lottery is ultimately gambling, harmful to moral customs; and auctioning imperial private property inevitably damages the dignity of the imperial house; levying additional land tax based on landholdings will still give corrupt clerks room to manipulate… Your subject believes that, since we have the first four, the latter few might be delayed slightly, to see how the former work out before making further plans."

As if His Majesty would agree to that!

Facing Li Xiantai, who had interrupted his train of thought, Minister Lin's expression remained unchanged, but he sneered inwardly.

"As if I would agree to that, Minister Li!" Zhao Jiu shook his head in response. "The nation's Northern Expedition requires full effort. How can we talk about making further plans? Minister Li, truly, do not speak again of competing with the people for profit or of dignity… Before the millions of people in the Two Rivers, the argument of competing with the people for profit is too ridiculous; before the shame of the Jingkang Incident, the dignity of the imperial house and the court is worthless! Moreover, the corporate system and the lottery also have progressive aspects; it's not simply a matter of competing for profit or losing dignity. As for the additional land tax on holdings exceeding five hundred mu, Minister Li, do not forget that I devised these things precisely because I did not want to forcibly impose a wealth tax, and also with the intention of curbing land annexation… If you have the heart for this, you might instead think of a way for me to prevent these large landowners from shifting the new land tax onto their tenant farmers."

Li Guang sighed softly and said no more.

And although Lin Jingmo didn't speak, he also sighed softly in his heart.

To be honest, it wasn't just the posture of professional oppositionists like Li Guang raising questions. Minister Lin had also guessed at the state of mind of many others present… Zhang Jun, Grand Councilor Zhang, was probably somewhat chagrined and uneasy. He had always prided himself on being His Majesty's confidant, and this time he had indeed presided over the general preparations for the Northern Expedition, stealing the limelight. Yet now, at the most crucial stage of fundraising, so many excellent plans that had nothing to do with him had emerged.

At this moment, this Lord Zhang, who had first offered a few flattering words and then fallen silent for a long time, must be thinking: who exactly had come up with so many good ideas for His Majesty?

Had they really been summoned by the gazette? Was the gazette really that useful?

One question thrown out, and so many useful methods came back so quickly? And every single one was more ingenious than what his own faction had designed?

As for the state of mind of Lord Zhao Ding, it was probably somewhere between Li Guang and Zhang Jun.

On one hand, he felt some methods were problematic, so he had a certain resistance. But on the other hand, as the Chief Councilor, he owed His Majesty an immense debt of gratitude for his exceptional favor—the kind that would take eight lifetimes of devotion to repay… So, ever since Zhang Jun had spoken of the five matters to his face, Lord Zhao couldn't help but feel that he, the dignified Chief Councilor of the Department of State Affairs, had been reduced to a mere executor, failing to live up to His Majesty's preferential treatment, and thus felt some unease.

Moreover, he definitely didn't know who was giving His Majesty advice, and was also suspicious.

Even Minister Lin himself saw through his own state of mind. As the Minister of Revenue, a core member of Zhang Jun's faction, and the executor of the fundraising work, he had originally had a mindset of burning his bridges for His Majesty. But unexpectedly, a third party had appeared out of nowhere, not only stealing his work but also coming up with better and more numerous methods than his own. Naturally, he too felt some unease and had mixed feelings.

However, unlike the others, Minister Lin was ultimately an inwardly brilliant person. While others were caught up in various complex emotions, he had already extricated himself and identified the prime suspect. Moreover, this person was right there in the stone pavilion!

That's right, that person was the Minister of Works, Hu Yin, Hu Mingzhong, sitting silently beside him!

Back in the day, before Hu Mingzhong was sent out on assignment, he was already the Acting Censor-in-Chief. After leaving, he became the Fiscal Commissioner of the Five Circuits West of the Pass. Yet upon returning, he was placed on par with people like us, or even a step lower—the Ministry of Works was the most leisurely ministry; aside from its rank, the Minister of Works had very little real power compared to other ministers.

At the time, there were rumors within the court that Hu Mingzhong had opposed His Majesty's campaign against the Western Xia, and had thus fallen out of favor.

But Lin Jingmo scoffed at this… Liu Ziyu had also opposed attacking Yaoshan, yet hadn't His Majesty still promoted him step by step? Moreover, no one knew the details of how Hu Yin had opposed His Majesty's campaign against the Western Xia. On the contrary, when the army swept through the Northwest, Hu Mingzhong had worked diligently, ensuring the logistical support in the early stages of the campaign, and had done an excellent job.

A man like this.

In terms of seniority, he was one of the three famous ministers from the Imperial University back then, one of the first ministers His Majesty had gathered under his wing, with even deeper seniority than myself.

In terms of stance, before Hu Quan took control of the gazette, he had always been the most radical proponent of resisting the Jin.

In terms of integrity, he might not match Lord Zhao, but could he not match Lord Zhang's faction, could he not match myself?

Execution and boldness—back then, the man took a flogging but still seized Qu Duan's military authority, so what of it? Forcibly dragging Wu Jie's beloved general Yang Zheng to the capital and beheading him—what of that? And don't forget, today's foremost military commander under heaven, the Prince of Yan'an, Han Shizhong, holds Hu Mingzhong in the highest esteem, and the second commander, the Emperor's in-law Yue Fei, was recommended and promoted by this very man.

A man like this should have returned straight to the Western Administration.

Of course, as for why he didn't become a minister of the Western Administration, aside from his age, avoiding Zhang Jun, the Emperor's foremost trusted minister, was likely a major reason... If Hu Yin had truly entered the Privy Council and become a Grand Councilor, given his temperament and strength, the drama among the three famous ministers of the Jingkang Imperial Academy back then would have been even more thrilling than *Water Margin*!

And the Zhao Emperor clearly wished to maintain court stability, ensuring Prime Minister Zhao Ding's governing authority and Minister Zhang Jun's image as a war advocate, thereby securing the Northern Expedition.

Even earlier, Hu Yin voluntarily sought an external post, allowing the Zhao Emperor to choose the weaker and more compatible Liu Ji and other Nanyang faction members as a third party—there was likely an unspoken understanding between ruler and minister.

For this, it also provoked that famous remonstrance from Mo Qixie, which propelled Mo Qiyuan to prominence—that's another matter entirely.

In short, with such a trusted minister returning this time, the Zhao Emperor surely had great plans for him. Placing him in the Ministry of Works, which essentially had nothing to do, was likely precisely to use him for major tasks... like these current concrete plans for raising funds.

Just as everyone's mood grew complicated.

On the other side, the Zhao Emperor, awaiting feedback, grew increasingly uneasy... As the provider of the plans, or rather the provider of the copied plans, facing these trusted ministers with rich governing experience, he naturally lacked confidence, fearing he had made some terribly naive mistake that caused their somewhat strange reactions.

Compared to that, how could he imagine that the plans were so exquisite that none of these trusted ministers thought the Zhao Emperor had come up with them alone, and were all suspiciously guessing?

As for Hu Yin, if the Zhao Emperor knew that Lin Jingmo, who had served as his secretary for years, thought that way, he would jump up and smash the mulberries in front of him into his face!

First of all, he, Zhao Jiu, really did come up with this! Even if it was a bit like cheating, it was still his own idea!

Secondly, in a sense, Lin Jingmo was still right... Zhao Jiu had placed Hu Yin in the Ministry of Works, a place with virtually no work at present, and indeed did so with intention.

However, Zhao Jiu didn't treat Hu Yin as some kind of advisor; instead, he treated Hu Yin as a de facto minister, using Hu Yin's integrity, sternness, stubbornness, and execution to turn the Ministry of Works into a secondary execution center for his Northern Expedition preparations.

In the future, Hu Quan, who held the official gazette, Yu Yunwen, who controlled the supervision of the Green Sprout Loan, and Mei Li, who gradually became a commercial advisor—the Zhao Emperor also planned to have these people coordinate with Hu Yin to a certain extent.

Of course, setting these aside, as the Zhao Emperor pressed on step by step, from Zhao Ding down, most people expressed agreement or reluctant approval, and their queries on the relevant policies remained at the level of competing with the people for profit or lacking propriety.

This gradually put the Zhao Emperor at ease.

"You don't understand—I was truly anxious." After the briefing, slightly relieved, Zhao Jiu picked a mulberry, swallowed it whole, then showed a face full of exhaustion. "These days, I've been nearly driven mad by the thirty-million-string shortfall, unable to sleep day or night. If these methods can't be used, I'll have no choice but to massively increase property taxes and set a ten-million-string Northern Expedition national debt quota. I might even have to target places like Nanyang, Yangzhou, and Dongjing, pin a charge of colluding with the Two Emperors and plotting rebellion on someone, then carry out a mass execution and open plunder..."

This was truly excessive, and it really seemed like something the Zhao Emperor would do. Li Guang instinctively rose to argue, but thinking it was a hypothetical strategy, he could only sigh.

And Zhao Jiu continued: "But still, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles, it's worth it. As long as we can recover the Two Rivers and unify the country, everything is worth it... While the court and I still have some prestige from the Western Xia campaign, it's only right to settle things early."

In a thousand words, it all came down to the Northern Expedition.

The assembled men exchanged glances, sighed inwardly, and under Prime Minister Zhao Ding's lead, rose one after another, declaring their obedience to the decree.

At this point, logically, the Zhao Emperor had no need to keep them.

Because next, Zhao Ding and the others would take the plans back, consult experts for discussion and analysis, then produce a truly executable detailed plan. There would likely be further discussions in the Secret Pavilion, leaks in the Public Pavilion, announcements at the Grand Court, and the official gazette's warm-up and formal promulgation...

There was still much to do.

However, the Zhao Emperor waved his hand and said: "Stay seated. There are two more matters somewhat related to the Northern Expedition, also about raising money. You ministers, don't speak—just watch."

Zhao Ding and the others were bewildered but had to sit back down. Shortly after, as Wang Lun, the Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and Xu Jing, who had taken office as Vice Minister just two days earlier, entered one after another, the ministers suddenly understood.

"Your Majesty, Kim Bu-sik and Taira no Kiyomori have been waiting outside the Yingyang Gate for some time... Also, there's a Dongjing merchant who lived in Hakata Port in Japan for many years—he's probably indispensable." Wang Lun, a proper minister, reported very calmly before the throne. Xu Jing, following behind Wang Lun, for some reason, despite coming from an official family and not expected to be nervous, kept glancing at the mulberry-fish pond where mulberries were being harvested in large quantities, quite rudely.

Of course, Xu Jing certainly didn't know that these mulberries were to be sold to the main shops outside Donghua Gate, which would either brew them into wine or mash them into juice and sell them with ice. If he wanted to eat some, he could just go out and buy them later.

But how would Zhao Jiu care about that? He directly waved and said: "Let Kim Bu-sik come in first."

Wang Lun acknowledged and turned to look at Xu Jing, who had been staring at the fish pond. Xu Jing snapped out of it after a moment and quickly followed an attendant. Shortly after, he brought Kim Bu-sik in.

As Kim Bu-sik entered the rear garden, he too was momentarily stunned by the mulberry grove heavy with fruit. But as a true elite of this era, he recovered after just a blink, then followed Xu Jing and the attendant to the stone pavilion, where he calmly clasped his hands in greeting.

At this, Zhao Ding and the other ministers were about to rise according to protocol, but Zhao Jiu waved them to stop.

Not only that, but the Emperor didn't even offer a seat. He sat and directly addressed Kim Bu-sik, who stood before him: "Minister Kim, this is our second meeting. I know you're a rare talent, and you know my temper. From the moment you landed at Dengzhou, you've been constantly reading the official gazette and inquiring about prices and such—you're probably well aware of the situation here. So today, I won't waste words with you..."

"The foreign minister awaits the Great Song Son of Heaven's instruction." Kim Bu-sik straightened up, clasped his hands, and replied solemnly.

"First, I truly cherish your talent!" Zhao Jiu looked at him earnestly. "I will never discriminate against you just because you're a Goryeo man. If you're willing to come, first serve as a Hanlin Academician, act as my inner drafter, advise me on northern affairs, and after the Northern Expedition succeeds, a ministerial post or a Circuit Grand Coordinator awaits you... If you're willing, step forward now, sit in this pavilion, share a bowl of mulberries with me and the Grand Councilors and ministers, and I'll speak with the Wang clan of Goryeo to bring your family here. How about it?"

Not only was Kim Bu-sik stunned midway, but everyone around—from Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun to Liu Ji and Chen Gui, from Li Guang to Hu Yin and Lin Jingmo, as well as Fan Zongyin, Lu Benzhong, and Ren Baozhong on the side, and even Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan, and Lan Gui—were all somewhat discomposed... Lan Gui took a good while to recover before signaling an attendant to bring another bowl of mulberries.

As for Wang Lun and Xu Jing, even more so—especially the latter, who was already dumbfounded... He had just been thinking how many years it would take to eat a bowl of these mulberries, and now his old friend was already qualified.

In short, no one expected such an old-fashioned scene of seeking talent, typical of centuries past, to appear here.

But everyone who knew the Zhao Emperor's character knew he was frivolous and truly unconventional in seeking talent. This included Kim Bu-sik, who already believed it—the Zhao Song Emperor wasn't joking.

And if this succeeded today, the anecdote of the Zhao Emperor using a bowl of mulberries to recruit talent would surely appear in countless notes and even official histories.

Enough digression—back to the present. Under the not-quite-scorching but still warm sunlight, even though Kim Bu-sik had made thorough mental preparations before this journey, he now seemed somewhat unsteady... The temptation was indeed great for him!

A barbarian state's Privy Councilor, essentially just the leader of the Kaegyeong (Kaesong) yangban at home, at most a figure sharing power with the monarch and the Seogyeong (Pyongyang) yangban in a three-way division.

How could that compare to a great state's minister? To a great state's Circuit Grand Coordinator? Which circuit of the great state wasn't more populous and wealthier than Goryeo?

Even from a Confucian ideological pursuit, the Great Song's inner drafter, the Hanlin Academician serving the Son of Heaven, and the sincere talent-seeking of today's Zhao Emperor—these were always the inner dreams of such men.

And further, given the situation between Song and Jin, the outcome was either Jin stabilizing or the Great Song succeeding in the Northern Expedition... From a special perspective, for the sake of his homeland, becoming a close minister of the Great Song Son of Heaven and striving to preserve his homeland in the latter scenario—wasn't that precisely the crucial matter Kim Bu-sik was pursuing now and in the future?

For a moment, Kim Bu-sik almost stepped forward directly—if he stepped forward and sat down, he would no longer have to worry about domestic factional strife, no longer have to scheme with the monarch, no longer have to think about purging the filthy monk forces at home, and could better help his homeland avoid trouble in the possible future, all without hindering his own rise.

In fact, Kim Bu-sik really did stagger forward one step.

But that one step brought him to his senses, and he earnestly clasped his hands in reply: "I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness. The foreign minister is deeply grateful. But from the time I began studying decades ago, I had a wish: to compile a history of the chaos of the Three Kingdoms—Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje—following the model of Han histories, to establish Goryeo's orthodoxy and create a monument for the Goryeo people. If I ate this bowl of mulberries, I fear completing that book would be difficult."

Hearing this, within and outside the stone pavilion, some sighed in relief, some showed respect, some remained expressionless, but all followed the Zhao Emperor's earlier instructions and said nothing.

The Zhao Emperor was clearly disappointed but still nodded with a sigh: "I won't force you. But you must understand... since you want to narrate Goryeo's orthodoxy, you must bear the weight of Goryeo's national fate."

"The foreign minister naturally understands." Kim Bu-sik raised his voice proudly in reply, seemingly fully recovered from his earlier wavering. "The foreign minister is already a Goryeo Grand Councilor."

"Very well." Zhao Jiu also raised his voice sternly from his seat. "I know the purpose of your journey, and I know the attitude of you and the Goryeo behind you. But Minister Kim, you must understand—Song and Jin cannot coexist... Goryeo's current fence-sitting, though understandable for a small state, will earn no pity from me. I only know that I've treated you with courtesy several times, yet you've only made excuses. And you have a history of betraying the Great Song and submitting to the Jurchens! Goryeo must offer something substantial, or one day, when I can act freely, I will act freely to repay Goryeo's various acts of insubordination to date!"

"The foreign minister thought Your Majesty would show the demeanor of a great power." Kim Bu-sik paused before replying.

"If Zheng Zhichang said that, I'd believe it. Coming from you, I take it as flatulence!" Zhao Jiu grew even harsher. "Back then, when you heard of the Jingkang Incident in Mingzhou, you immediately turned back, suppressed the Goryeo court, submitted to the Jurchens, and presented a memorial praising the Jurchens' great achievement of capturing the Two Emperors—who was that?"

Hearing this, Li Guang, who had been showing respect, changed color, and the other Song civil and military officials also showed displeasure.

But Kim Bu-sik remained unperturbed: "A small state with few people—how could it sacrifice the entire nation to a tiger's mouth just to maintain a great power's face? Besides, the Jingkang Incident wasn't caused by us Goryeo people."

"Then let's stop with this nonsense. You know what I want." Zhao Jiu couldn't even be bothered to address him as 'minister.'

"The foreign minister knows." Kim Bu-sik sighed slightly, his brows furrowed. "But forgive the foreign minister's helplessness—Goryeo is only this big. Even if we open the market, poor and small as we are, how much profit can we share with the Great Song? After all, we Goryeo people have no use for so much silk and porcelain—it's not like grain. If Your Majesty is willing to sell some armor..."

"You can sell it to the Jurchens!" At the last half-sentence, Zhao Jiu suddenly cut him off coldly.

Inside and outside the stone pavilion, it was utterly silent.

Jin Fushi was stunned for a moment, clearly unable to believe his ears, but the next moment, he suddenly realized, and Zhao Ding and the others also suddenly understood.

And Zhao Jiu repeated expressionlessly: "The Jurchens have plenty of gold and silver; the gold and silver of Dongjing and the Central Plains have almost all been looted by them! There are also nobles in Liaodong who have divided up countless gold and silver! Of course, aside from gold and silver, it would be even better if you could buy their warhorses and grain; even furs can be made into cold-weather military uniforms! Fine timber is also needed! But I will only give you porcelain and silk! The vast Great Jin Kingdom—what a huge market, don't you know? And I have not only not forced you to go to war with the Jurchens, but have also gratuitously given you Koreans a way to make money. Shouldn't you thank me for my heavenly grace?"

By the end of his words, there was already a cold edge to his tone.

Hearing this, Jin Fushi knew he could no longer haggle, so he bowed deeply and replied: "Your Majesty's heavenly grace, I, the foreign minister, will certainly return and try my best!"

"I have here a private letter for Zheng Zhichang, asking him to assist you, and another letter for your king, telling him that it is out of respect for Academician Zheng that I have made such concessions… Take them both." Seeing the other party agree, Zhao Jiu waved his hand directly. "I am tired today. Once you have the message, return to your country as soon as possible!"

As he spoke, Liu Yan stepped forward to present two small wooden boxes, and Jin Fushi, hearing that disgusting name, felt his mood grow even more complicated.

But what of it?

For one thing, given the small scale of his country, he was indeed afraid that this Zhao official, who had planted mulberry trees in his own rear garden for four years until the mulberries had grown to a considerable scale, would take revenge on Goryeo after a successful northern expedition in the future. For another, constrained by internal factional strife, the two leaders of the opposing Seogyeong factions were, on one side, a mad monk who spent all his time thinking about fighting the Jurchens to establish merit, and on the other, a foolish poet who had been so charmed by the Zhao official that he took this man-eating official for a celestial one… What could he, Jin Fushi, even if he considered himself a man of talent, possibly do?

In the end, he could only take the two wooden boxes, bow slightly in salute, and, with a hundred thoughts churning in his mind, be led away by Xu Jing.

On the other side, seeing this, Minister Lin suddenly understood again. He could only say that their official truly had methods—he had seen clearly that Goryeo was a small state with few people, constrained by the great power situation, so that although he had previously invested much effort in Zheng Zhichang, today he forced this truly capable Jin Fushi to pay the price… Yet everyone knew how easy it was to invest effort in Zheng Zhichang, and how difficult it was to invest effort in a man like Jin Fushi, who had ambition, ability, and drive.

Just as he was thinking this, Xu Jing had already returned, accompanied by a person in strange attire and another person whose attire, though not strange, was a robe so dazzling it hurt the eyes.

The former was undoubtedly the Japanese envoy, while the latter was likely a maritime merchant who had come to such a place for the first time and dressed inappropriately.

Before the two had even reached them, the maritime merchant, glittering in the sunlight, prostrated himself from afar before the Zhao official, while the other, a middle-aged Japanese official named Taira no Tadamori, hurriedly imitated the merchant's salute. But his movements were clumsy, and in his fluster, he knocked off the conical silk hat on his head, revealing a strange, partially shaved hairstyle.

At this, several of the senior ministers in the stone pavilion frowned—because none of them had expected that the Japanese, who according to the books had once revered Tang culture, would now shave their foreheads like the Jurchens and Tanguts!

This instinctively gave them an unpleasant association.

Even Zhao Jiu was momentarily stunned, staring at the man's forehead… This caused Ren Baozhong, the secretary behind him to his side, to immediately adjust his mood and glare angrily at the newcomer.

However, Ren Baozhong had misunderstood… The Zhao official had indeed made an association, but not with the Jurchens and Tanguts. Rather, this official had known from the start that the chonmage was a representative symbol of the Japanese samurai class, but having done some research a few days earlier, he knew that the current situation in Japan involved the imperial family—Retired Emperors, Dharma Emperors, and reigning Emperors all fighting for power within the family—and had assumed that the samurai class hadn't even emerged yet.

But this chonmage was more convincing than any words or research—the newcomer, whose name was clearly written in Chinese characters as Taira no Tadamori, a Middle Counsellor of Japan, although not carrying a katana or wakizashi, was undoubtedly a samurai. And for a samurai to have risen to the position of a provincial governor and Middle Counsellor, and to represent the Japanese imperial court in handling this entire diplomatic incident, was already telling enough.

Don't forget, the Zhao official had played quite a few low-end games; he knew a little about the decline of the court nobility and the rise of the warrior houses.

"All of you, rise. No need for excessive courtesy. I do not become the Son of Heaven through ritual." With this thought, Zhao Jiu immediately smiled.

The maritime merchant, who was glittering all over, first thanked him and rose, then, prompted by Xu Jing, realized his duty and quickly called the man on the ground to rise in Japanese.

"I told you, no need to be formal. The translator doesn't have to wait for me to finish; just translate quietly for him as I speak." Seeing this, Zhao Jiu again instructed kindly, his attitude completely different from when he faced Jin Fushi. "Both of you, come forward and sit."

What followed was naturally the maritime merchant expressing endless gratitude, repeatedly thanking him, and then, after being reminded by Xu Jing of his duty, becoming overly cautious. It was only after the two had carefully taken their seats, Taira no Tadamori had put his hat back on, and they had together eaten a bowl of mulberries clean, that they gradually calmed down.

But they still dared not look directly at the Zhao official or the row of purple-robed senior officials sitting on the other side.

By now it was midday. Zhao Jiu looked up at the sky and did not intend to delay any further. After a moment's thought, he asked his first question: "Trouble the translator to ask Minister Taira for me—why is his hairstyle so strange?"

And sure enough, after the maritime merchant translated, Taira no Tadamori chattered away in a stream of Japanese, and it was exactly as Zhao Jiu had thought—this hairstyle had not appeared long ago and was mainly popular among 'warriors,' because when fighting pirates, they were often on combat alert, and long hair was inconvenient to manage, so they shaved it to accommodate their armor.

Zhao Jiu naturally understood the term 'warrior' and asked a few more follow-up questions.

As for Taira no Tadamori, whether it was because he was used to being discriminated against in his own country and was grateful for the Zhao official's approachability, or because he had landed at Dengzhou and traveled along the Yellow River, witnessing the might of the Imperial Camp Navy, Right Army, Forward Army, Central Army, and Navy—countless hundreds of thousands of armored troops—and had seen a city like Dongjing, he was, in any case, honest and answered every question.

According to Taira no Tadamori, the so-called 'warriors' were originally military officers under the Japanese court system. Military officers could not cross class lines to become high-ranking inner palace officials, and he himself was currently the only warrior to have obtained the qualification to enter the inner palace, and that had only happened last year. Of course, aside from not being able to become inner palace nobles, 'warriors' were actually very active; many had already become local provincial garrison commanders and low-level central government officials handling practical affairs.

After this explanation, the civil and military senior ministers and close officials present had subtle expressions. With their political experience, how could they not see that this was the Japanese court inviting disaster? These so-called warriors would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later.

But that was as far as it went. The ministers were too lazy to concern themselves with the internal affairs of an island nation, and even Zhao Jiu only roughly understood the situation, filing it away in his mind… After all, most people in the stone pavilion only cared about what help Japan could bring to the Great Song.

And whether the Zhao official had any more creative ideas like the one he had just used against Goryeo.

"I know why Minister Taira has come…"

Zhao Jiu suddenly smiled. "But before we discuss the matter, you must understand one thing: I am the Son of Heaven of the Great Song. Although I am at war with the Jurchens and somewhat impoverished, I am still the Son of Heaven of a Central Kingdom whose territory is more than ten times that of Japan, and whose troops are also more than ten times those of Japan… I say this not to intimidate you, but to tell you that my words carry weight and are not to be questioned! Ask him if he understands."

After the maritime merchant translated, Taira no Tadamori immediately responded.

And with that 'Hai,' Zhao Jiu understood the other's meaning without needing a translation, and finally became serious: "I will propose a plan. Listen carefully…"

Saying this, the Zhao official paused slightly and gestured to Lu Benzhong beside him, who immediately handed over a prepared document… Taira no Tadamori could not understand spoken Chinese, but he could definitely read Chinese characters.

And the Zhao official did not stop: "Let him look at the text and listen to the translation. If he has any questions, he can ask directly… Over the past few days, I have roughly inquired about the situation and know how the central political situation in Japan works. The Emperor abdicates to become a Retired Emperor, the Retired Emperor becomes a monk to become a Dharma Emperor, and the Dharma Emperor then forces the new Emperor to abdicate and become a Retired Emperor—a complete mess. I have no interest in these trivial matters, but I know that the so-called Dharma Emperor Shirakawa died four years ago, and now Dharma Emperor Toba holds power through cloistered rule, and Minister Taira is a trusted confidant of Dharma Emperor Toba… Am I right?"

After a brief wait for the translation, Taira no Tadamori immediately nodded.

"Then my original intention was this," Zhao Jiu said seriously. "I will no longer insist on Japan opening its doors wide. Normal civilian trade can proceed as usual. The Great Song will no longer escort merchant ships with warships, nor will it force trade. But I imagine that you have also seen the gazettes here and can understand them, and thus know that the Great Song does indeed have a military funding problem… So I hope to open a dedicated official trade route, allowing the Great Song court to exchange high-quality Great Song copper coins for Japanese gold and silver, with some sulfur thrown in as a bonus. Of course, other goods can also be traded if desired… This benefits both sides!"

Taira no Tadamori looked at the text before him, waited patiently for the translation to finish, and was about to speak.

But unexpectedly, the Zhao official, showing a hint of impatience, cut in before he could continue: "However, after meeting Minister Taira, I have come up with a new idea. From now on, for this kind of trade, I have decided, in my capacity as the Son of Heaven of the Great Song, to have the Great Song Imperial House trade directly with the Japanese Imperial House—specifically, with Dharma Emperor Toba. In other words, only I and Dharma Emperor Toba, and your Taira clan, will benefit! Because from today onward, Minister Taira will be the only person trusted by both the most honored person in the world—that is, me—and the most honored person in Japan—that is, Dharma Emperor Toba! I specially authorize the Taira clan to be the sole executor of this type of trade on the Japanese side! I will recognize no one else! This is my personal favor to Minister Taira, in recognition of his courage in daring to cross the vast sea!"

The expressions of the several senior ministers varied.

The maritime merchant was clearly stunned for a moment, and only after a while did he turn to translate.

As for Taira no Tadamori, after hearing the translation, it took him a long time to come to his senses. He then left his seat and kowtowed on the ground, indicating that he wholeheartedly agreed… There were some issues on the Japanese side when he came, but he was willing to return and work hard to resolve them, and then persuade Dharma Emperor Toba to establish this special precious metal trade route between the two honored persons.

"Give him a sword!" Zhao Jiu said, turning to Yang Yizhong and gesturing. "Then tell him that when he returns, he can send one of his sons to come and study at the military academy and serve as my inner attendant, just as he said his father served as a guard for the so-called Dharma Emperor Shirakawa… Also tell him that in a few days, I will hold a special court ceremony for the Japanese mission, so that his attendants will know that I regard him with special favor."

After all this fuss, Taira no Tadamori finally returned, full of gratitude, while the civil and military officials around could only marvel at the Zhao official's methods… Only Li Guang frowned slightly, several times on the verge of speaking, but then seemed to think better of it.

And so, a few days later, unlike the hastily dismissed Koreans, the Japanese mission indeed received treatment far above their station.

Leaving that aside, over the following days, after several revisions and debates—from the secret pavilion to the public pavilion, from the stone pavilion to the Wende Grand Hall—the comprehensive plan for fiscal construction was finally passed, driven by the Zhao official's efforts and with the support of the Grand Councilors.

By the first day of the fifth month, the front-page headline of the gazette officially published the relevant news:

The stamp tax and the excess land tax would be implemented starting in the sixth month, and the Northern Expedition Special National Bonds would be issued on a trial basis for five hundred thousand strings. As always, the bonds would retain all the privileges of previous national bonds.

Ten days later, another piece of news appeared at the bottom of the front page of the gazette:

The court would establish a maritime trade company, with both the Zhao official and the court holding shares. Senior ministers of the inner and outer cabinets, all military commissioners, military governors, and commanders at the rank of Controller-General and above would receive varying shares. Maritime merchants and cargo owners were welcome to participate.

By the first day of the sixth month, the gazette mentioned another matter on the second page:

To raise funds for the Northern Expedition, the Zhao official had decided to auction off part of the imperial collection through a public bidding process in the seventh month. At the same time, half of the mansions already built in the Beijingyuan area of Dongjing, aside from those reserved as rewards for senior ministers, would also be included in this public auction.

Regardless of background, the highest bidder wins, the first to arrive gets it. Anyone could become neighbors with Minister Lu, Prime Minister Zhao, and Prince Han, separated from the residences of the two Empresses Dowager by only a single wall.

By the first day of the sixth month, as the court began implementing the new taxes, the gazette, while also publishing the news that the Western Mongol King had sent over a dozen sons to serve the official, half-revealed the news that the maritime trade flag and imperial certification would also be included in the public auction.

And before this, these two pieces of news had already been spread through specific channels.

As for the Northern Expedition lottery, it had already been trialed in Kaifeng Prefecture for over half a month, with such excellent public response that the Zhao official had to follow the precedent of the national bonds and issue a special decree strictly forbidding the Ministry of Revenue from expanding its scale.

By July, before the auction had even begun and many new trade channels had yet to yield returns, with the arrival of the Dali envoy, Zhao Jiu had already raised a good sum of over two million strings of cash. He issued all this money to the Ministry of Works, ordering Minister Hu Yin to select a suitable location and construct the necessary storage facilities in preparation for the Northern Expedition.

Of course, this matter, following Zhang Jun's earlier proposal on finance, was also publicly reported in the Capital Gazette.

So far, the five policies for the Northern Expedition that Zhang Jun had once realized from reading *Water Margin*, despite opposition and attacks, had actually been implemented or were in the process of being implemented for four of them. Only the memoirs of the Two Emperors remained stuck in difficult progress.

Zhao Jiu was in no hurry about this.

"What do you think, Brother Hui?"

While the Eastern Capital was bustling with activity, the city of Yanjing, thousands of li away, was considerably cooler. One evening, before the light had completely faded but the Milky Way was already faintly visible, beneath the stars and amid the sound of frogs, Hong Ya, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat of the Great Jin, slowly put down the Capital Gazette in his hand and looked at his increasingly close friend beside him—Qin Hui, Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs of the Great Jin, a member of the Grand Council.

The location was under the grapevine in Qin Hui's own spacious backyard, so there was no need for any restraint. But Qin Hui, sitting less than two feet from Hong Ya, put down his cold tea and asked back under the lamplight: "What do you think, Grand Secretary Hong?"

"I feel that this series of moves by Zhao Jiu seems somewhat opportunistic, as if he is acting through unorthodox means," Hong Ya replied seriously. "I wonder why no one has admonished him?"

"With seven years of authority behind that lord, who dares to admonish him?" Qin Hui shook his head, looking at the sky. "As for what you call unorthodox means, I personally believe that whether something is unorthodox does not depend on how clever the method is... If the accumulation of momentum is insufficient and one delusionally tries to reach heaven in a single step through tricks, that is naturally acting through unorthodox means, and it will collapse sooner or later. But if the momentum has accumulated to the point where one is only three feet three inches from heaven, then using a few clever tricks to just touch the edge of heaven instead earns admiration for the thickness of one's momentum, which cannot be stopped from surging upward!"

Hong Ya was slightly startled. After a moment's thought, he asked seriously: "Then, Brother Hui, do you think the South's momentum is insufficient or already thick?"

"That depends on what you think thirty million strings of cash mean for this lord's seven years of hard work," Qin Hui replied, still gazing at the stars, still refusing to give a direct answer.

Hong Ya finally grew impatient and couldn't help lowering his voice to ask seriously: "Then I'll speak plainly... Brother Hui, do you think this lord can really accomplish his goals within three years?"

Qin Hui turned his head to look at Hong Ya, who had leaned in. After a long silence, he asked back: "Grand Secretary Hong, over the past half year or so, I've actually had a thought—that the current internal situation in the South, with all that lord's actions, rather resembles the reforms of the Stubborn Minister back in the day..."

"So it won't succeed?" Hong Ya was momentarily delighted.

"I didn't say that." Qin Hui shook his head seriously again. "In my view, the Stubborn Minister's failure was not due to his incompetence or his lack of good intentions, but to two things... First, Emperor Shenzong ultimately wavered; second, the New Party rose too quickly, and its members were a mixed bag; third, the Old Party had deep roots and worked with focused effort... So, instead of asking for my opinion, Grand Secretary Hong, you should ask yourself. You came from the South, and you are an official personally appointed by that lord. What kind of man do you think he is? Can he grit his teeth and hold on, refusing to change course in the face of opposition? And what about the people he employs—how many are loyal, how many treacherous, how many are capable ministers and famous generals, how many are sycophants and useless fools? If you understand these two situations, you can easily arrive at an answer."

Having said that, despite claiming to mention two things but actually listing three, and then only asking two questions in the end, Qin Hui looked seriously at Hong Ya, waiting for his answer.

Hong Ya quickly looked up at the sky through the grape trellis, pretending to think for a long time, but then only smiled bitterly as he gazed upward: "Brother Hui is joking. How would I know such things?"

As he spoke, he slowly turned his head to look, only to find that Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs of the Great Jin, Qin Hui, had at some point also tilted his head back to look at the sky.

As if this fellow could read the grand trends of the world by observing the stars!

PS: Thanks to the 153rd patron, Glass Bead and Hero Card... I was busy the past few days and didn't notice at all... My sincerest apologies.

Then, as usual, I offer up the new book *The Work of a Go Master*.